


Runaway

by nerdcredred, Ocelot_l



Series: Lifetimes [7]
Category: Atop the Fourth Wall, That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-31 04:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1027101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdcredred/pseuds/nerdcredred, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocelot_l/pseuds/Ocelot_l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Linkara and Harvey forget how easy it is to feel unwanted...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Runaway

**Author's Note:**

> All works can also be found at my LiveJournal page at http://bookishlady242.livejournal.com/
> 
> We do not own these characters nor the people who portray these characters. This is meant as a work of fiction and is fair use. "Runaway" is performed by Del Shannon.

Linkara knew it was going to be a bad day when he tripped over one of 90s Kid’s action figures the second he stepped out of his bedroom. Kicking it aside in frustration, he rubbed his eyes and frowned as he recalled having to wake up a few times to pound on 90s Kid’s door the previous night to get him to turn the music down, get off the phone, and go to bed already. Linkara wasn’t much of a morning person, especially not after having his sleep interrupted like that, so he went downstairs hoping to find a little bit of peace and quiet before having to face the day. He walked into the living room and groaned at the sight, his hopes completely dashed.

Clothes were strewn across the couch, comics were splayed out helter-skelter on the coffee table – not even particularly good comics, either – and he saw Nirvana cassette tapes and other such things scattered all over the floor.

Linkara winced as he heard Harvey shout in frustration from somewhere before he stormed into the room. “Who the hell was it that spilled soda all over my Louis Vitton silk tux?!” Linkara rolled his eyes.

“Guess.” Harvey growled, rubbing his hands together and fuming.

“Damn that twerp, I’m gonna box his ears. He’s gonna be paying for the dry cleaning bill!”

Linkara moved past him into the kitchen and found an even bigger mess there. The fridge door was still open, the milk was still out on the counter, growing warm, and some spilled cereal was resting comfortably on the floor along with some drops of jelly, melted butter, and toast crumbs. In short, it was a mess. Linkara growled, cleaned up what he could, and slammed the fridge door.

Harvey walked over to the kitchen to try and help with the mess when all of a sudden he tripped over one of 90s Kid’s Genesis games. He landed hard on his side and Linkara gasped, rushing over to check on him. “Harvey! Harvey, are you okay?”

Harvey quickly flipped over onto his back, his eyes wide with panic as he reached into his pocket and felt for something. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found what he was looking for and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.” His calm expression was instantly replaced with frustration worse than any he’d ever shown before, with Linkara’s face an identical match.

“90s Kid, get in here!” Linkara screamed after he’d helped Harvey to his feet.

90s Kid came bounding around the corner, his usual smile in place. “You rang, dude?” His smile suddenly faded into a worried grimace when he noticed the two men were red-faced, breathing hard, and glaring at him. “Uh… everything okay?”

“No, everything is NOT okay!” Linkara shouted, stalking over to him. “90s Kid, you have got to be the worst roommate EVER!” Linkara quickly cornered the younger man, who backed up until he hit the wall. “You leave everything you own lying everywhere! You never clean up your messes! You blast loud music in the middle of the night! I can hear you playing video games at four in the morning! You’re always on the phone with Dan even later than that! And to top it off, Harvey just tripped over one of your games and could’ve really gotten hurt! What do you have to say for yourself?!”

“Dude, I’m… I’m sorry…”

Harvey joined in, pointing his cigarette at the teenager testily. “Honestly, it’s a waste having you around here sometimes! You barely do anything to help out! Even an idiot like you has to be useful for something, right? You leave all this crap around and never pick it up – you need to be more careful, dammit!” Harvey’s voice was getting louder by the moment, and 90s Kid trembled under the blast of his rage.

“I… uh… I didn’t mean-”

“I have never met a more immature, trouble-making, aggravating person in my entire life!” Linkara continued to yell. “Seriously, why don’t you just GROW UP!”

Finally, Linkara paused to catch his breath and took his hat off to wipe the sweat from his brow. He started when he felt Harvey nudge his arm and looked up, eyes widening as they landed on a hurt-looking 90s Kid, whose lower lip was now quivering. The teen quickly shoved past Harvey and ran out the door, letting it bang loudly behind him. Linkara wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard a sob before it slammed shut.

\----

Linkara couldn’t stop looking at the clock. It was late, much too late, and 90s Kid still wasn’t back. He’d been gone all day. Linkara had expected that ever since he and Harvey had blown up at him earlier, but he had also expected the teen to come before midnight, which he always did. Now it was 12:27 and there was still no sign of him. Linkara’s stomach was starting to do flip-flops.

Harvey still seemed somewhat miffed about his tux and the earlier fall, but Linkara noticed that he was chain-smoking a lot, even for him. That was a tell-tale sign that Harvey was worried, and if Harvey was worried, then Linkara knew he should be too.

“Do you think he’s coming back tonight?” Harvey glanced at him and shrugged. Linkara sighed and fiddled with the comic in his hands. It had been an hour and he still hadn’t read past page 2. “I didn’t think he’d take it like this. I mean, we yell at him all the time, and he’s never run off before… for long… okay, maybe we did go overboard this time. I didn’t think he’d run away crying…” The comic in his hands crumpled as he twisted it unconsciously. “He has to know we didn’t mean it and we really don’t mind having him around. He knows we rely on him a lot around here. When we’re ready for battle, we always turn to 90s Kid for weapons upgrades. He’s extremely loyal, and determined to help us, and sort of fun sometimes… and he is just a teenager stuck in time limbo without knowing anybody or anything in this time except us, and he probably has nowhere to go now, and he’s wandering the streets all cold and alone and scared-”

“Kid,” Harvey said, laying a hand on his shoulder, a slight grimace on his face. “Please stop. That isn’t helping anyone. You gotta calm down.”

“How am I supposed to calm down?” Linkara asked, the comic falling forgotten to the floor. “He’s out there all by himself and it’s my fault!”

“Our fault,” Harvey corrected with a sigh.

“So what are we supposed to do?”

Linksano suddenly stormed into the living room, scowling as he stared Harvey and Linkara down. "I have a bone to pick with you two!"

Harvey sighed and raised his hands. “Look, doc-”

“Don't 'look, doc' me! Thanks to that terrible ruckus you were causing this morning-”

“You don't have to yell at us about 90s Kid, we already know.”

“-you managed to… what? Wait, what are you talking about?”

Linkara frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Boffo!” Linksano shouted, throwing his hands up in an agitated manner.

“What about Boffo?”

“Thanks to your yelling, I found him huddled up in a closet and scared out of his wits! You know angry voices set him on edge! You really should learn to control your tempers! I’ve been spending all day with him trying to calm him down and – wait, did something happen to 90s Kid?”

Linkara sighed and buried his head in his hands. “Harvey and I made a mistake...” He told the story to Linksano as Harvey lit and smoked two more cigarettes in rapid succession. “…and so I figured we’d just let him cool down, but it’s been a whole day and he hasn’t come back. Harvey and I are getting really worried.”

Linksano shook his head. “You two certainly did sound angry. It’s true that 90s Kid can be trying at times and he can be unintentionally inconsiderate, but he is still a child, you know. He’s trying his best to be a loyal member of this group and even if he does screw things up now and then, his intentions are never malicious.”

Linkara nodded, feeling guilt pool in his stomach. “I know that. I really wish I hadn’t blown up at him.” Linksano put a hand to his face, pondering.

“I wonder if… no, he wouldn’t.” Linkara looked up.

“What wouldn’t he?”

Linksano shook his head dismissively. “It’s just a theory, probably an incorrect one.”

“C’mon, what is it?” Harvey asked impatiently. Linksano sighed and looked slightly uncomfortable.

“Well… I hate to bring this up, but your words seem to be echoing the sentiments of that wretched hologram you left with us before. It was constantly insulting 90s Kid with words like stupid, worthless, unneeded, et cetera. 90s Kid really took those insults to heart, so… he might feel like you don’t want him around anymore as part of our team.” Linkara swallowed hard, feeling worse and worse by the second.

“Hey, hold on there, doc,” Harvey said, raising his hands. “Keep in mind what Junior also did last time that happened. He probably just teleported over to Crockett’s pad for the day.”

“Y-yeah! I bet he’s there!” Linkara stood up and eagerly reached for his phone, dialing the number 90s Kid gave if he needed to reach him there. Harvey stood next to him and Linkara held up the phone so they could both hear.

“80s Dan here!”  
“Hey, Dan, it’s Linkara.”

“Hey, how’s it going, my friend?” Linkara noticed he sounded too cheerful. That was probably a bad sign.

“It’s uh, going alright. Hey, um, c-can you put 90s Kid on the phone?” There was a long moment of silence on the other end.

“…what do you mean?” Linkara looked at Harvey and started to sweat.

“Uh…we thought he might be over there.”

“No, we didn’t have plans for today. Why did you think he’d be over here? Did he say he was coming to see me?”

“No, not exactly…”

“What do you mean? What did he say?”

Linkara bit down on his lip. “Um, he didn’t say anything when he left.”

“He left without telling you where he was going? Why would he…” Dan trailed off and his voice rose as he started to panic. “What’s going on? What happened to Kid? Where is he?”

Linkara and Harvey grimaced, each feeling their stomachs drop to their shoes. “Um… well, you see-”

“Is he okay? Tell me!” Linkara tried to hand it off to Harvey, but Harvey shoved it back to him and they silently bickered for a moment before Linkara finally spoke.

“Um…well, earlier today we kinda…Harvey and I sorta…um…yelled at him and said some things we really didn’t mean.”

Dan’s voice sounded more panicked. “What kind of things?”

Linkara’s eyes darted to Harvey. “You told him to grow up-”

“Hey, you’re the one who called him an idiot!”

“He left the damn place in shambles, ruined my tux, and he almost broke – oh it doesn’t matter! You’re the one who started screaming at him and calling him immature and all that jazz!”

“You yelled too!”

“Okay, both of you shut up!” Dan snapped at them. Linkara and Harvey meekly obliged, looking like children who’d just been scolded. Dan sighed and spoke up again, sounding very annoyed. “Look, I don’t know how this got started, but from what I can gather, you two got into a shouting match with 90s Kid, he ran off, and now you can’t find him?”

Linkara and Harvey both sadly “Uh huh’d” in response and Dan groaned angrily. “Well, that’s just great. Okay, even though I’m not very fond of either of you right now, I’m coming over and we’re all going out looking for him. Understand?”

“Yes,” They replied in unison, completely willing to let Dan call all the shots.

“Okay then. I’ll email Boffo and see if he can teleport over and pick me up. After I get there we can start planning our search strategy. Hopefully… hopefully he’s alright…”

They heard the line click off and the two looked at each other, their hearts in their throats. What had they done?

\----

They decided to split into two teams to search for 90s Kid the next day. One team consisted of Linksano, Ninja-Style Dancer and Boffo, and the other of Harvey, Linkara, and an exhausted Dan, who had been too worried the previous night to sleep. Pollo and Nimue were keeping watch back at the base and sending out signals to other robots and AIs in the area, asking them to send out an alert if 90s Kid appeared before them.

Their first stop was the park, which Harvey insisted on trying rather urgently. “Junior loves the outdoors,” he told them as they made their way to the park. “He’s always telling me about playing this or that with all the other tykes who come around here. I bet he came here to camp out last night, I just bet he did.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Linkara told him, although he didn’t seem as hopeful. The three did a walkthrough of all the wooded areas and bike paths within the park, and asked every hot dog and ice cream vendor if they’d seen 90s Kid, but this proved fruitless. Harvey seemed reluctant to leave the area, but eventually let Dan and Linkara drag him off so they could check other spots.

After spending all morning scouring the mall, the movie theaters, and the comic book shops, Linkara checked in with the other team on his wrist communicator and received the news that he wasn’t at the skate park, batting cages, or the place where you rode Go-Karts. Linkara hung up and sighed.

“Did you try him on his cell again?” Dan asked. His usual friendly demeanor was greatly diminished from worry, anger, and a lack of sleep, so he couldn’t help but glare at Linkara and Harvey whenever he needed to speak with them.

“I told you, he left it at home.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Home, right, the place he should be right now. The place that’s supposed to make him feel welcome and safe and happy. Isn’t that right?”

Harvey’s mouth twitched but he quickly slipped another cigarette between his lips and focused on lighting it while Linkara fidgeted under Dan’s stare. “Look, Dan, you don’t realize how sorry we are-” Dan held up a hand to stop him.

“I don’t want to hear it. I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. I… I just hope we can find him so you can tell him yourself.” Dan looked around the busy street they were driving on, his anger and frustration melting into genuine fear. Harvey took another drag of his smoke, his body erect and stable, but his blue eyes wide and tortured.

“Let’s try the arcade. He usually goes there.”

\-----

It was mid-afternoon when the three walked in amidst loud sound effects and bright colors. Harvey looked rather uncomfortable, as though it hurt his dignity to be in such a place, but he didn’t dare voice it in front of Dan. They went up to the counter and the staff gave Harvey kind of an odd look, but everyone smiled at Dan. “Hey, Dan!” a young man with shoulder-length hair greeted as he walked over to him. “These friends of yours?”

Dan’s smile grew a tad strained, but he nodded. “You could say that.”

“Well, where’s 90s Kid? Why isn’t he with you?” Dan couldn’t help it, his face fell. He looked around, worried.

“Um, do you know if he’s been in here today?”

“Nope, he hasn’t shown up.”

“Look, can you do me a favor and call me if he does come by here?”

“Sure thing, Dan.”

Dan sighed and nodded at the man before turning to go. “Okay, thanks.”

They walked around the neighborhood in the hopes that 90s Kid would turn up at the arcade eventually, and asked about him at nearby restaurants and stores, but nobody had seen hide nor hair of the teen. Linkara was starting to run out of ideas, but he refused to let himself give up. A beeping noise suddenly drew his attention and he lifted his arm to his face.

“Team Science to Team Magic, come in.” Linkara flipped on his communicator to reveal Linksano.

“Any luck?”

“Negative. We’ve been having a difficult time searching, since people seem reluctant to speak to a mad scientist, a ninja and a clown, but we’ve done our best. He’s not at the pizza parlor, the roller rink, or the public library.”

“Why would you look at the library?” Harvey cringed as the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Dan glared daggers at him.

“Do you think Kid’s so stupid he can’t read?”

“I don’t think he’s stupid!” Harvey insisted.

“Did you or did you not call him an idiot?”

“I… I didn’t mean…”

“Yeah, whatever.” Dan turned his back on the suited man and fixed his glare on Linkara. Linkara swallowed thickly and asked Linksano for further details.

“We really have none. According to all the witnesses we asked, he hasn’t been seen all day. We’re going to retreat to the base in case he returns.”

Linkara sighed. “Copy that, Linksano. Negative on our end as well. Keep us posted. Linkara out.” He closed the channel and noticed Dan walking away from them so he could call Dolly on his cell phone to see if 90s Kid had shown up at their house for the tenth time that day. By the look on his face, he knew it hadn’t happened. Dan sighed, glanced at Linkara, and shook his head no.

Harvey stomped on his latest cigarette and retrieved a handkerchief from his jacket, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Linkara placed a hand on his arm for support. He kept up a brave face on the outside, but inside he knew Harvey probably felt sick from worry, and Linkara wasn’t doing much better. If only they hadn’t lost their tempers and come down so hard on 90s Kid.

What if he’d decided to run away? What if he was lost? What if someone had taken him, or something worse had happened? What if…what if he…

“Do you know why I got so upset earlier, Kid?” Harvey asked softly. Linkara was shaken out his thoughts and looked to the singer.

Harvey reached into his pocket and gently withdrew a small balsa wood airplane. Linkara looked down at it and Harvey continued to speak. “I carry this around with me in my pocket. When I tripped earlier, the reason I flipped my lid for a bit was because I was scared to death I had broken this.”

Linkara frowned at the sight of the toy before his eyes widened as the pieces clicked. “You mean… Harvey, this belonged to…”

Harvey nodded and put the plane back in his pocket. “Yeah. When Charlie was about six years old, I came downstairs one morning and saw he’d made a real mess of the house. His toys were lying everywhere, he had drawn all over the walls, and he’d spilled his juice on my wife’s brand new carpet that we couldn’t even afford.” Harvey sighed. “Man, I was ticked. I started yelling at him, and the moment I had my back turned, he’d run right out the front door. I ran after him, but he was too quick for me – before I knew it, he was gone.”

Linkara’s heart beat faster as Harvey looked to the ground. “I… I had never lost my temper like that with him before. I didn’t want to ever do that again, but now… we screamed at Junior and caused him to run off too. I just keep asking myself: what is wrong with me?” Harvey buried his face in his hands. “Why do I keep doing this, Kid? Why can’t I keep my cool? Why do I keep screaming and insulting him? I don’t want to be that guy anymore. I-I don’t…want to keep hurting him…but what if he is hurt? What if he’s out there, lying in a ditch somewhere or…or what if he’s…”

Linkara quickly put an arm around Harvey and drew him close. “Harvey, you can’t think like that. 90s Kid is fine, I just know he is. He’s smarter and stronger than most kids his age, so don’t even think of anything that bad happening to him.” Harvey nodded as he hugged Linkara tightly, but he still seemed tense and his breathing seemed ragged. Linkara kissed his forehead and spoke in a soft tone. “Harvey, you’re not a bad guy. You just lost your temper. It happens to all of us sometimes. 90s Kid knows you don’t hate him and I’m sure that when we apologize he’ll accept it.”

“Y-yeah, Kid?”

Linkara nodded and gently kissed his lips. “Yes. We just have to stay strong and keep our wits about us. Come on now, we have to keep looking.”

“The park, Kid.”

“What?”

“We have to check the park again.” Harvey looked up at Linkara, as if this were something that made the difference between life and death. “I just got a big hunch that he’s there. He’s gotta be there… and if he isn’t…” Harvey swallowed and didn’t finish his sentence.

Dan came back over after he was through with his phone call and Linkara took the lead. “We’re gonna check the park again, Dan. It’s getting dark out. Let’s hurry.”

\-----

The sun was setting when the three arrived in the park. They looked around as they walked through the area, searching for any signs of the teen. The lampposts were already lit, bathing the park in a pale glow that would’ve been romantic under different circumstances. The place was almost empty save for a few couples out for an evening stroll. Dan’s mood had only grown worse as the hours passed and he frantically scanned every bush, tree and wooded area for 90s Kid. Eventually they rounded a bend and came across a smattering of park benches. Dan froze, his eyes fixated on a bench at the very end of the path, before he grabbed Linkara’s arm. “Look – over there!”

Linkara and Harvey focused on where Dan pointed and saw 90s Kid sitting there, moodily eating an ice cream cone and looking dejected. They all hurried over, though Dan broke out into a run and galloped ahead of them easily.

“Kid!” 90s Kid jumped at the sound of his name and quickly lifted his head.

“Dan? Huh?” 90s Kid stood up and stepped toward his boyfriend. “What are you-”

“Kid! Thank God we found you!” Dan lunged at his boyfriend and enveloped him in a tight hug before peppering his face with kisses. “Oh jeez, sweetie, you had me worried out of my mind! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where were you all this time? Did you sleep in a safe place last night?”

Each question ended with another set of kisses, so by the time Dan was out of breath from that stream of chatter, 90s Kid was blushing and panting a little from being hugged so tightly. Linkara and Harvey had hung back, trying to give the two some privacy, and quickly looked away when the displays of affection began.

“Dan, I’m totally okay, I swear. I didn’t even know you were here dude.”

“I came because I heard you were missing.” Dan explained as he released 90s Kid from his hug. The two quickly sat down on the bench before Dan looked at 90s Kid with concern. “Linkara called and said he and Harvey had some words with you.” 90s Kid looked down at this but said nothing. “They said you stayed out all day and night yesterday, and that you didn’t tell them where you were. I got so worried something might have happened…” Dan paused, afraid if he said anymore that he might start breaking down. 90s Kid noticed and quickly reached out to take his hand.

“Dan, I’m seriously fine. My bro 60s Kid let me crash at his place last night and I, like, hung out with him all day. I totally didn’t mean to make you upset, dude.” He leaned over and kissed Dan to reassure him. Dan smiled and sighed, finally starting to feel relief flood through him.

“Thank goodness you’re okay. We were going crazy with worry over you.” 90s Kid looked down again.

“Maybe you were worried…” he muttered. Dan’s face fell slightly and he reached out to pat his arm.

“Look, Kid, I know they can be jerks and that they lost their tempers, but they still care about you. I’ve been with them all day and I can tell that they’ve really been worried sick about you. I know they want to say they’re sorry, so would you give them another chance?”

90s Kid thought it over for a minute and nodded. “Sure, dude. If you say so.” Dan beckoned the two over and gave 90s Kid one final kiss before reluctantly getting up so they could have some privacy. He hovered close by, though, sitting on the bench right next to the one where 90s Kid sat, his eyes never leaving his boyfriend.

Linkara took a seat beside 90s Kid and Harvey stood next to him, his fingers resting on the back of the bench near the teen’s shoulder. “Hey.”

90s Kid turned his head away. “Hey.” Linkara wasn’t sure what to say. He was torn between being relieved he was alright, wanting to apologize profusely, and wanting to scold him for running off. While he struggled to eliminate that third desire, Harvey spoke first.

“Hey, Junior. I uh…we just wanted to say we’re sorry for yesterday.” Linkara quickly nodded. “We didn’t mean to come down on you like a ton of bricks.” 90s Kid still said nothing and kicked his feet out a little.

“We’re really glad to see you’re okay, 90s Kid. We were worried you might’ve gotten hurt or lost or…we’re really glad to see you.” Linkara was unsure of how to go about this. “Look, I’m really sorry for what I said, but 90s Kid, you really scared us! We had no idea where you were, and we don’t want you to run away.”

“Why not? I thought I was, like, an idiot and immature and all that junk.” 90s Kid mumbled.

“Well, you are immature,” Harvey said, earning himself a scowl from the teen. “You’re a kid, so you’re supposed to be, but you’re not an idiot or a waste of space, and don’t ever think we don’t need you around. We were both mad, but we didn’t mean any of those things, Junior. Honest. And we’re not mad anymore, so you can come home now. Just be sure to do better about taking care of stuff, both yours and other people’s, okay?” 90s Kid finally looked at them and sighed.

“I’m really sorry. I just thought that, like, you guys didn’t want me around for a while.” Linkara put an arm around him and Harvey patted his shoulder.

“Of course we want you around, 90s Kid! You’re part of our team. We couldn’t get along without you. We’ll try to do better about the yelling and complaining, but you have to try and pick up a little more and not blast your music into the night, okay?”

90s Kid nodded and looked over at Linkara. “It’s a deal, dude.” Harvey gestured to Dan, who came back over to sit on 90s Kid’s other side and wrap an arm around his shoulder. 90s Kid finally allowed himself to smile and he leaned into Dan for a moment before standing up to face his friends.

“So, I can really come back home now?” At Linkara’s nod, 90s Kid laughed. “Radical!”

Before they knew what was happening, he’d pulled both of them into a group hug. Harvey froze at first from the embrace but after a moment he gave a tentative pat to 90s Kid’s back. Linkara quickly realized that 90s Kid’s ice cream cone was right in front of him and he took a bite, leading Dan to stifle a laugh. Dan’s previous bad mood had all but vanished now that 90s Kid was safe, and he seemed willing to give Linkara and Harvey a second chance as well. (Though if this happened again, Dan would not be such a pleasant person to deal with.)

“Okay, now that all the excitement’s done, why don’t we start heading ba-a-a-a-a-ck.” As Dan was overtaken by a yawn, 90s Kid turned to him sharply.

“Dude, you look exhausted. Did you, like, sleep at all last night?”

Dan smiled at him sheepishly. “Uh, well, Linkara called me pretty late last night and I was too worried to sleep before we started searching, which wasn’t until this morning, so, uh, no.”

90s Kid sighed and shook his head. “Dude, you know how important it is to sleep. You’re always doing this. C’mon, we’re totally getting you to bed, like, right now.”

“Yes sir.” Dan happily let 90s Kid drag him back to the car while Linkara and Harvey walked along behind them, observing in amusement.

“I guess he’s more responsible than I thought.” Linkara muttered to the singer.

“Maybe we shouldn’t underestimate him so often.”

“Yeah. And maybe when one of us gets mad, the other should try and cool him down before he does something he regrets.”

Harvey didn’t reply at first. “But what do we do when both of us are mad, Kid?” Linkara stopped and stared at him for a moment, unable to think of an answer.

“C’mon, dudes, let’s book it!” 90s Kid called out to them as he honked the horn several times. Harvey and Linkara blinked in surprise before hurrying into the car as well.

The four of them soon arrived back at the base feeling a lot better now that their family was united once again. Once they’d stepped through the front door, Harvey playfully punched 90s Kid on the arm. “Don’t scare us like that again, kiddo.”

90s Kid punched him back. “I won’t.”

Harvey’s expression grew suddenly serious and he opened his mouth as if to say something more, but he shut it right away when he heard approaching voices. “90s Kid, is that you?”

Linksano, Boffo, and Ninja-Style Dancer quickly came over to where 90s Kid was standing, smiling widely in relief. *I can see your search proved a success. We’re very happy to see you’re alright.*

“Indeed! I knew we’d be able to locate you eventually!” Linksano exclaimed while Boffo honked in agreement and gave 90s Kid a friendly hug.

“I am also relieved to see you are okay. I have notified the other AIs and the search has been called off,” Pollo chimed in as he floated over.

“Thanks, dudes.” 90s Kid smiled, already feeling a lot better at the warm welcome from his friends.

“Oh, by the way, Finevoice,” Linksano piped up, pulling a bottle out of his pocket. “While we were passing time here, I managed to invent a cleaning solvent that may relieve your tuxedo of its stain without requiring a dry cleaner’s touch.”

Harvey’s expression lit up with interest. “Did you, now? Well, then lead the way, doc.” After they’d disappeared, Dan started yawning again and 90s Kid quickly slipped an arm around his shoulder.

“Okay, dudes, that’s it for us. See you tomorrow.”

“90s Kid, I really am sorry.” Linkara couldn’t help blurting out as they headed for the stairs. 90s Kid turned and smiled warmly at Linkara.

“I know, dude. Me too. Let’s just, like, start over, okay?”

“Yeah,” Linkara agreed. “Good night.”

“Night.”

Linkara turned to Boffo after the two had gone. “I’d also like to apologize to you. We didn’t mean to scare you with all that yelling yesterday.” Boffo blushed slightly but waved his hand.

 _Apology accepted._ He honked before frowning a bit in worry. _I was just a bit surprised at how harsh your reaction was. I realize that 90s Kid left the base a mess, but you didn’t need to react that strongly._

*I agree.* Ninja-Style Dancer held up, looking pointedly at Linkara. *I think you and Harvey may need to work on your parenting approaches.*

“Very funny,” Linkara said sarcastically before yawning as well. “For now, I think I’m gonna get to bed. It’s been a hell of a day. Night, guys.”

\----

90s Kid quickly brought Dan up to his room and they were in bed within five minutes, Dan holding the teen tightly in his arms. 90s Kid giggled and shifted around so he could kiss Dan more easily. “Dude, you don’t have to worry. I’m not, like, going to sneak away or anything.”

“I know,” Dan said, loosening his grip a little. “I just felt so worried when we couldn’t find you and we couldn’t even call you or anything.” 90s Kid kissed Dan again and gave him an apologetic look.

“Sorry again, Dan. I totally never wanted to worry anyone. I just needed some space and junk. You want to hug Tenderheart?” 90s Kid pulled the plushie out from under his pillow and offered it to Dan. “If you hug him while you sleep, you’ll totally have awesome dreams.”

Dan smiled and settled the bear between him and 90s Kid. “This way we can both have awesome dreams.”

“You’re the best, dude.”

“Kid, why didn’t you come to me when you ran off before?” Dan asked him suddenly. “You know I would’ve taken you in if you needed me.”

“I know, dude. I just, like, left my transporter here next to my cell phone, and when I realized how dark it was getting, I wanted to stay close to home and stuff. So I went to 60s Kid’s instead cuz it was closer.”

Dan looked satisfied with this and nodded. “Okay, I get it. But can you try to you remember to take your phone or your teleporter with you if you ever leave again? So I don’t go out of my mind worrying about you?”

“Of course, Dan. I never want you to do that,” 90s Kid assured him.

“Thanks, Kid. Will you be okay if I leave tomorrow?” Dan looked genuinely worried so 90s Kid gave him a soothing kiss on his cheek.

“Yeah, man, it’s cool. We sometimes get mad and yell at each other and stuff, but we’re, like, a family. I know that. I totally won’t run away like that again.”

“Well, if you do want to run, why not save us all some worry and come straight to my place?” Dan suggested. 90s Kid laughed and nodded.

“Sure, dude, your place rocks!”

They shared one last kiss before drifting off to sleep together.

\----

After Linksano’s solvent had rid Harvey’s tuxedo of the soda stain, Linkara and Harvey also settled into bed. “By the way, Harvey,” Linkara told him as they lay in bed. “You never did tell me how that story ended. Where did you end up finding Charlie?”

Harvey chuckled a bit and smiled. “Believe it or not, we found him in the park. He was sitting on a bench and had gotten an ice cream cone with the change in his pocket, just like Junior. He didn’t even seem scared, the little tyke.”

“Like father, like son.” Linkara said softly and Harvey kissed him.

“Well, after I’d apologized and taken him home, everything was fine. We didn’t even mind having to repaint the walls and clean the carpet, we were just so glad to have him back.” Harvey’s face changed. “Y’know…when Charlie ran off, I went crazy. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened to my boy. Then when I finally found him, I wasn’t angry at all. All I could think was how thankful I was that I didn’t l-lose him…”

Linkara saw Harvey look down and swallow and quickly pulled him close. “It’s okay, Harvey. It’s okay.”

Harvey laid his head on Linkara’s chest and took a deep breath. “I know. I know it is, Kid, because you were there to save me when I lost myself. But when Junior ran off, all I could think about was Charlie. All I could think was that I’d lost him too. I… I don’t think I could’ve handled that.”

“You don’t have to worry, Harvey.” Linkara’s fingers threaded into his hair. “We’re going to keep this family together. You won’t lose him or any of us. I won’t let that happen.”

Harvey closed his eyes and finally let the tears show, feeling Linkara gently brush them away. “Thank you, Kid. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Harvey. Don’t worry,” Linkara whispered as he kissed his boyfriend’s dampened cheek. “I’ll never let anyone be taken from you again.”

\----

Late that night, 90s Kid woke up feeling thirsty and after he’d managed to escape from Dan’s iron-grip around his waist, he headed downstairs into the kitchen for a glass of water. As he guzzled it down, he was surprised to see Harvey enter the kitchen as well.

“Oh, hey dude,” he greeted after setting his glass down. Harvey faced him with slight surprise and seemed to be debating whether to turn and leave or stay, before eventually walking over to 90s Kid’s side.

“Evening, Junior. Everything okay?”

90s Kid nodded. “Yup. Just getting a drink.” He watched Harvey pull out his pack of cigarettes and light one with mild interest. “Do those things, like, really taste good?”

“Nah,” Harvey said after a quick drag. “They taste terrible. They aren’t good for you either.”

“So why do you smoke them?”

“Old habits are hard to break,” Harvey replied. 90s Kid shrugged and started to walk towards the door but Harvey lowered his cigarette.

“Wait, Junior. I-I need to tell you something.” 90s Kid turned back to him curiously. “Even though I’m an old fuddy-duddy who’s set in his ways, I know there are some habits even I can break. Like calling you names and doubting your worth to the team.”

90s Kid looked surprised by his sudden outburst and took a step toward the singer. “Harvey-dude, I know you didn’t mean that junk. You were just mad. I get it.”

Harvey shook his head and stubbed out his cigarette. “It don’t matter if I mean it or not. The point is I shouldn’t be saying it. I’m a grown man and I should be able to control myself better. So I really need to tell you, Junior…90s Kid…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

90s Kid exhaled sharply when Harvey suddenly pulled him into an embrace and his arms hung at his sides for a moment as he tried to figure out how to respond. Finally, he wrapped them around Harvey and hugged back. “I-I know. It’s okay, man.”

“You’re a good boy, Junior,” Harvey whispered, holding back his emotions with every ounce of willpower he had. “Please don’t run off again…please…”

90s Kid wasn’t sure what exactly was happening, but he knew that the singer meant every word he said, so he nodded and gave his word. “I won’t, Harvey. I totally won’t.”

\----

A week later, Linkara stepped out of his bedroom and felt his foot collide with something cold and sticky.

“90s Kid!”

“I’m totally on it, dude!” 90s Kid came bounding up the stairs with a sponge and bucket of water that splashed everywhere as he ran. Linkara grit his teeth before forcing a smile.

“Thank you, 90s Kid.”

As Harvey came over to snicker at him and offer his handkerchief, Linkara knew that, all things considered, it was going to be a good day.


End file.
